Spain says gambling deposits and withdrawals must use the account holder's own payment method
Spain published Royal Decree 813/2026 on 8 October 2026. From 28 October, gambling operators must check that the owner of a payment method is the owner of the gambling account. Existing players have six months to be verified and cannot withdraw winnings until they are.
South African players on offshore casinos already meet this rule in practice: most sites ask you to deposit and withdraw using a bank account, card or wallet in your own name, and they may hold a withdrawal until that is shown. Spain is now writing the same expectation into law. It is a useful picture of where the industry is heading, and a reminder that using someone else's card or account is a fast way to have winnings blocked. Spanish rules do not apply to South African players, and this is not a South African requirement.
What Spain has changed
Spain's Royal Decree 813/2026 is dated 7 October 2026 and was published in the official state gazette, the Boletín Oficial del Estado, on 8 October. It amends several financial-sector regulations that sit under the country's anti-money-laundering law. One of the amendments changes Article 21 of the anti-money-laundering regulation as it applies to online gambling.
The new wording says that, when an operator identifies a customer remotely, it must also check that the holder of the payment method used for deposits and withdrawals is the holder of the gambling account. The decree enters into force 20 days after publication, which is 28 October 2026.
What happens to existing players
Players who were already registered before the rule starts are given a transition period of six months. During that time they can keep depositing with the payment methods they already use and keep playing. They cannot, however, withdraw prizes they have won until the operator has completed the ownership check.
If the six months pass without the check being completed, the operator must end the contract and tell Spain's gambling regulator, the Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego. Remaining balances, including winnings that were held back, must then be returned to the player, subject to the usual anti-money-laundering and terrorist-financing obligations.
- Rule in force: 28 October 2026
- Transition for existing accounts: six months
- During transition: deposits and play allowed, withdrawals of winnings not allowed until verified
- After transition: unverified accounts closed and balances returned
What it means for South African players
None of this changes the law for anyone playing from South Africa. It does show how regulators in a major market are treating payment ownership: as a core control rather than an optional extra. Offshore casinos that serve both markets may tighten their own checks as a result, so the practical advice is simple. Register with your real details, pay with accounts and cards in your own name, and expect to complete identity checks before a first withdrawal.
Our guide to FICA-style verification at casinos explains what documents are usually requested, and the guide on Capitec Pay deposits covers one common bank-linked option. Remember that no South African operator currently holds a licence for online casino games, so these checks are set by each offshore site, not by a South African regulator.
What to watch next
Watch how Spanish operators and payment providers handle the first weeks after 28 October, including how many existing customers are asked to re-verify. Other European regulators may look at similar rules, and offshore brands may follow with stricter name-matching of their own. We will update our coverage if the Spanish regulator publishes guidance on how the check should be carried out.